Cooper Zeon LTZ Off-Road tires on Stock 19" Wheels
- Thread starter Finlayforprez
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I have a 2011 LR4 and needed new tires at about 34k miles. After last winter, I knew the OEM Contis were not acceptable - I found myself sliding down hills after coming to a complete stop! I don't do much off-roading, although I'd like to, and I wanted something that was comfortable on regular roads, could do some light off-roading (if the opportunity arose) and was good in typical northeast winter weather (particularly for the 5-10 weekend ski trips we take each winter). Although many rave about them on here (which is how I even knew to consider them), I was unsure about the Coopers due to some reviews that said they were bad in snow/ice. I ended up taking a chance with them based in part on lots of reviews on other tire sites raving about how good they were in those conditions (mostly on pickup trucks, it seemed). I had also been considering Michelin Latitudes and possibly a winter tire like the Nokians (although the thought of swapping tires twice a year was not appealing).
So, with that bit of background, and after a few thousand miles on the Coopers, including a long trip to Vermont this past weekend and playing around in streets tonight with about 10" of unplowed snow, they seem to handle winter conditions with relative ease (for me, at least), and much, much better than the Contis. In snow mode, I barely needed traction control, even when I hit the gas hard around a few turns. Braking was very good as well, with minimal ABS action. On the highways (mostly dry or light rain so far), I notice a little bit more noise, not so much a hum, but just a little more "white noise". Not significantly different from the worn-down Contis I just replaced, though - nothing an extra click or two on the radio volume can't fix. One thing I do notice (that I hadn't seen mentioned in any reviews) is that the steering is a bit looser with the Coopers - not bad for around town, but on the highway I found they struggled a bit more than the Contis to hold a straight line - not terrible, but I did notice the difference right away and it took a little getting used to. All in all, though, I find that to be worth the benefits of the performance in winter weather and hopefully off-road at some point.
Hopefully this helps for those on the fence with the limited tire choices, particularly those on here that tend to stay on-road most of the time, but would still like the off-road option in a single, all-purpose tire. Oh, and did I mention they look great on the truck, for whatever that's worth...
So, with that bit of background, and after a few thousand miles on the Coopers, including a long trip to Vermont this past weekend and playing around in streets tonight with about 10" of unplowed snow, they seem to handle winter conditions with relative ease (for me, at least), and much, much better than the Contis. In snow mode, I barely needed traction control, even when I hit the gas hard around a few turns. Braking was very good as well, with minimal ABS action. On the highways (mostly dry or light rain so far), I notice a little bit more noise, not so much a hum, but just a little more "white noise". Not significantly different from the worn-down Contis I just replaced, though - nothing an extra click or two on the radio volume can't fix. One thing I do notice (that I hadn't seen mentioned in any reviews) is that the steering is a bit looser with the Coopers - not bad for around town, but on the highway I found they struggled a bit more than the Contis to hold a straight line - not terrible, but I did notice the difference right away and it took a little getting used to. All in all, though, I find that to be worth the benefits of the performance in winter weather and hopefully off-road at some point.
Hopefully this helps for those on the fence with the limited tire choices, particularly those on here that tend to stay on-road most of the time, but would still like the off-road option in a single, all-purpose tire. Oh, and did I mention they look great on the truck, for whatever that's worth...
Daniel Hull
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I put Coopers on about 3 months and 5K miles ago. I don't notice any significant difference on the highway vs the stock Conti's. Off-road they've performed well around Ouray and Moab. But the traction control on these trucks is so good that the Conti's never really gave me any problems...snow or off-road. The downside of the Conti's was that they got all cut up from rocks...the Coopers have been better in that regard.
Quijote
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I'm having R2 SUV's put on a separate set of wheels this week. I can absolutely tell the difference when breaking and turning when I don't have winter tires. Whenever the Contis wear out ( it will take a few years), I'll worry about what to replace those with.
Hi folks, I read in a few places that these tires will fit on an LR2 as well (255/55/R19 and 255/60/R19). I'm in Edmonton, Canada and we have about the worst winter there is short of the arctic circle or Siberia. Typically people here would have 2 sets of rims with performance or all season tires on one set, and winters or studded tires on the other set. I'm thinking this is probably what I have to do, but am wondering about the snow/ice performance of these Cooper tires anyway. Having something that's both off road and real winter capable at the expense of minimal increase in highway noise seems too good to be true. If not the Coopers, what would be the best winter tire? Or is studded the way to go? I bought the 2010 LR2 at 70k and now have 83k (km) on it. Seems crazy but I'm pretty sure the stock 235/55/R19 Continentals are still on it (nearly bald).
Thanks!!!
Thanks!!!
We have the Cooper Zeon LTZ's on both our vehicles in summer for beach driving. I imagine they are decent in snow but with frequent trips to Vermont in winter, I run Nokian Hakkapelliitta SUV R2 winter tires. The Coopers just don't have the features of a Nokian winter tire. (Tiny sipes, slush channels, etc.)
The Land Rover traction control systems will get you going on any tire, but the issue with the LR3/LR4 is braking and turning 6000 pounds on slippery winter roads. That is less of an issue on the LR2 but I still think that using Nokian winter tires in winter is the way to go.
The Land Rover traction control systems will get you going on any tire, but the issue with the LR3/LR4 is braking and turning 6000 pounds on slippery winter roads. That is less of an issue on the LR2 but I still think that using Nokian winter tires in winter is the way to go.
AxelR
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Hey Rybone89,
I was under the impression that as of this winter all personal vehicles in Canada had to be equipped with dedicated winter tires and that AT tires were no longer an option like they've been until now...maybe this only true for Quebec. The cooper do not carry the snowflake symbol (and also based on dozens of reviews they do not perform really well on ice and snow).
If you're looking for an AT in 255/55R19 with the mountain and snowflake symbol you might want to look into the Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac (maybe some other ones too). The DuraTrac carry the logo and is well known for being a fantastic winter tire. I just out some on my LR4 and they seem great. I will need to wait a few months to attest of their winter capabilities but I'm pretty sure they will be doing awesome based on their pattern and how sticky they are.
Also they're not too heavy compared to the continentals.
Axel
I was under the impression that as of this winter all personal vehicles in Canada had to be equipped with dedicated winter tires and that AT tires were no longer an option like they've been until now...maybe this only true for Quebec. The cooper do not carry the snowflake symbol (and also based on dozens of reviews they do not perform really well on ice and snow).
If you're looking for an AT in 255/55R19 with the mountain and snowflake symbol you might want to look into the Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac (maybe some other ones too). The DuraTrac carry the logo and is well known for being a fantastic winter tire. I just out some on my LR4 and they seem great. I will need to wait a few months to attest of their winter capabilities but I'm pretty sure they will be doing awesome based on their pattern and how sticky they are.
Also they're not too heavy compared to the continentals.
Axel
Finlayforprez
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I drove the Cooper Zeon LTZs in snow/ice (of varying conditions) and they were not that good at all. I would highly recommended getting a better, dedicated snow tire.
Thanks for the replies guys!
Yeah I think I will just get a good snow tire installed on my existing 19" stock rims in a month, and then get a set of nicer (maybe even 20") rims with summer or all season tires next spring. That way I can do the changeovers myself from now on too.
I am pretty set on getting bigger tires than the stock 235/55 profile though, I like the idea of getting a couple extra inches of clearance and I read from a few people that 255/55 or 255/60 will fit on the LR2 without the need for spacers. Is it a safe bet to get winter tires in this larger size?
I'll look at the snow tire options that were mentioned here.
Yeah I think I will just get a good snow tire installed on my existing 19" stock rims in a month, and then get a set of nicer (maybe even 20") rims with summer or all season tires next spring. That way I can do the changeovers myself from now on too.
I am pretty set on getting bigger tires than the stock 235/55 profile though, I like the idea of getting a couple extra inches of clearance and I read from a few people that 255/55 or 255/60 will fit on the LR2 without the need for spacers. Is it a safe bet to get winter tires in this larger size?
I'll look at the snow tire options that were mentioned here.
AxelR
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Going wider on a snow tire is not wise at all. It is actually a known fact that for snow you need to use a narrower tire (or at the maximum the original width - in your case 235 I believe) I would definitely not recommend going wider if anything try to find a smaller snow tire with a taller profile.
